Ship s capstan



ff. F,

DAIEL TALLCOT AND GEORGE TALLCOT, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK.

SHIPS GAPSTAN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,986, dated May 27, 1856.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL TALLcoT and GEORGE TALLooT, of the city andcounty of Oswego and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Capstans; and we do hereby declare that the sameare described and represented in the following specification anddrawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our improvements wewill proceed to describe their construction use and operation referringto the drawings in which the same letters indicate like parts in each ofthe gures.

Figure l, is a perspective view of the capstan, Fig. 2, is a sectionalelevation showing the construction of the interior with the gearingratchets, pawls etc. Fig. 3, is a vertical section representing part ofthe gearing, to show that the pressure of the journals of the gearedshaft, upon the boxes,- is in the same direction that the shaft andboxes move.

We are aware that numerous geared capstans have been devised, some ofthem adapted to vessels with two or more decks, some of them having thegearing in the top of the capstan, others at the bottom, partially, orentirely below the deck of the vessel: and most, or all of themrequiring a hole to be made through the deck to apply them, therebyrendering the deck more liable to leak, and subjecting the cargo todamage from such leakage: in carrying lime and some other articlessubjecting the vessel to the danger of being set on re greatly to therisk of the lives of the seamen and passengers; in addition to this,most of the geared capstans now in use, are very complicated, andcostly, liable to get out of order, or become useless when most neededrequiring expensive repairs, and so much time to complete them as t-odelay the vessel when she might be employed to profit; and further, thebarrels have been mostly made tapering, and nearly straight on thesurface, so that the rope or chain being wound upon them will not iieetreadily, and uniformly, but with sudden jerks and starts, oftentransferring the strain on the capstan, from the bottom to the top, sosuddenly as to make it dangerous to operate them, and very liable tobreak or injure the capstan, or tear it from the deck of the vessel bythe sudden surge and recoil.

The design and object of our invention and improvements in capstans isto remedy these defects, and obviate the disadvantages enumerated, andothers not named, by making a simpler, cheaper, and more serviceable, aswell as more durable capstan, and therefore a farbetter one than hasbeen made heretofore: a capstan adapted to single decked vessels, soconstructed as to be entirely above the deck of the vessel, and that canbe applied to the vessel without cutting into, or through the deck.

The nature of our invention and improvements in capstans consists inarranging a gear wheel under the head of the capstan to turn loose uponthe spindle either with or without the head, and drive a gear turning ashaft in the barrel of the capstan eX- tending to the bottom, andarranged parallel to the spindle, and turning in boXes fastened to thearms which support the barrel, and carrying a gear at its lower endworking into a stationary internal annular gear in, or on the base ofthe capstan, so as to communicate a slow and powerful motion to thebarrel of the capstan, which turns on the spindle far slower than thehead of the capstan which also turns on the spindle.

In the accompanying drawings A, is a circular base of cast metal,provided with a hub D, in which the spindle E, is firmly fastened byriveting, or otherwise. This base is also provided with an internalannular gear B, and a circular vertical ratchet C, in which the pawls S,S, which hold the capstan, catch as it is turned. I

F, is the barrel of the capstan made in the form represented, andprovided with two series of arms G, G, terminating in the hubs G', G,which are fitted so as to t-urn freely on the spindle E.

H, is the head of the capstan made of cast metal, and provided with aseries of sockets or holes H', H', for the levers, or hand spikes H2,with which it is to be turned on theupper end of the spindle E, to whichit is fitted and secured from rising by the collar a, and screw Z), asshown in the drawing. This head is provided with two or more pawls P, P,fitted to vibrate on pins, like Q, and arranged to catch into thevertical ratchet R on the upper end of the barrel F, as shown in thedrawing: and connect the head H, with the barrel, so as to operate thecapstan for any light service for which it may be wanted, and when speedis of more importance than power. But in order to operate the capstanwith great power, we make a vertical ratchet wheel I, with teetharranged to turn just within the ratchet R, and fasten to it the gear J,and lit both of them to turn freely on the spindle E, so that when thepin Q, is pushed into the position represented by dotted lines in Fig.2, the pawl P, will catch into the ratchet I, and release ratchet R, sothat by turning the top H, it will carry the gear J, which turns thegear K, and shaft L, which shaft is fitted to turn in boxes M, and N, onthe arms Gr, G, as shown in the drawing, and has the gear O, fastened toits lower end, arranged to work into the stationary internal annulargear B, so as to turn the barrel F, far slower, but with great power;and whenever it is desirable to increase the speed of the capstan, orbarrel F, it is only necessary to draw out the pins Q, Q, to transfer'the pawls P, P, from the ratchet I, to the ratchet R, so as to lock thehead H, to the barrel F, and release it from the ratchet I, so that thebarrel F, will turn with the head H, as heretofore described.

By this construction and arrangement of gearing which we have invented,some great and important advantages are gained (to wit.) l/Vhen thebarrel F is operated by the gearing the pressure of the upper journal ofthe shaft L against the box M, fastened on the barrel F, is in the samedirection, in which the barrel is moving, as shown by the drawing Fig.3, representing the gears J and K, the arrows on the several partsindicate the direction in which they move. Be sides the pressure of thelower journal of the shaft L against the bore N is also in the samedirection in which the shaft moves the box and barrel, when the capstanis operated by the gearing: so that all the power appliedto turn thecapstan is applied and expended to t-he very best advantage to operateit, making it far superior to any other capstan. The pawls S, S, vibrateon studs arranged near the lower end of the barrel F, inside, or underthe edge of the barrel, as shown in the drawing: so the pawls andratchet being covered, are far less likely to be obstructed by ice, soas to render them useless until the ice is removed. With ourimprovements constructed as above described, with the ratchets I, and R,and pawls P, P, the capstan may be worked either geared or single, byturning the head half way, and then fleeting back, if freight or anything else obstructs the passage of the levers entirely around thecapstan.

7e make the barrel F of the capstan slightly tapering, or conical fromT, to U, and straight, or, nearly straight on the outside; and from T,to V, we enlarge it, or turn it out in the are of a circle, or nearly inthe arc of a circle, so as to make the rope, or chain fleet evenly anduniformly, while the strain on the capstan will be constantly near itsbase, where it is most capable of supporting it without injury to any ofits parts.

By this construction we obviate and overcome one of the great defects incapstans heretofore constructed which are made to taper from the bottomnearly or quite to the top, with, or without slight curve so that therope or chain winds down to the bottom, so as to come against the bottomflange and begin to ride when it fleets suddenly with a violent surgeand recoil, transferring the strain from the bottom to near the topofthe capstan where it is the least able to support the strain with thesurge and recoil to which itis subjected added to it, so that thecapstan, or the rope, or chain is liable to be broken: which notunfrequently happens under such circumstances, besides it has been knownto tear the capstan from the deck of the vessel, to the imminent perilof the life and limbs of the seamen working it.

Capstans constructed with our improvements, are far better and cheaperthan the geared capstans heretofore made: for the following reasons(viz): They are more simple in their construction, and therefore lessliable to get out of order, and consequently it costs less to keep themin repair: besides they are far more durable, and cost thirty per cent.less; and will perform the service required in less time, and with lesslabor and as the gearing is all within the barrel of the capstan, thereis no strain upon the spindle except the lateral strain of drawing thehawser: and this strain with our improved form of barrel, is keptconstantly uniform, and near the base or bottom or bottom of thecapstan. Besides no part of itis required to be put into, or through thedeck of the vessel, therefore the planking and frame are not injured inapplying it, and the danger of leakage, and consequent damage to thecargo avoided. Besides the pawls and ratchet at the bottom of thecapstan are covered by the lower edge of the barrel, so as to renderthem less liable to be obstructed by ice so as to render them uselessuntil the ice is removed.

We believe we have described and represented the construction andoperation of our improvements in capstans, so as to enable any personskilledin the art, to make and use them: And We will now specify what Wedesire to secure by Letters Patent (to Wit).

Ve claim- The gears J, and K, arranged at the top of the capstan incombination with the shaft L, and gears O, and B, arranged at the bottomof the capstan for communicating a slow and powerful motion to thebarrel F, substantially as described.

DANIEL TALLCOT. GEO. TALLCOT.

Vitnesses as to Daniel Tallcot:

WVM. DIXEY, S. PITKIN.

Witnesses as to Geo. Tallcot: WM. W. UNDERHILL, JAS. E. UNDERHILL.

